


The Universe and Loki Laufeyson

by definitelynotcanon (orphan_account)



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Multi, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:15:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23637412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/definitelynotcanon
Summary: AU where soulmates have identical markings but the marks change to their soulmate's eye color upon meeting. Loki X Reader!
Relationships: Loki (Marvel) & Reader, Loki (Marvel)/Reader, Tom Hiddleston/Loki/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 137





	1. The Universe and Loki Laufeyson Part One

Warning: Mentions of violence, brief choking.

You had conducted dozens of interrogations without fear, expertly getting the information you needed each time. This one was different though, because the person you were trying to persuade was the one, the only, Loki Laufeyson. 

Yes, the god of mischief who was responsible for the battle of New York. 

The United States government along with the Avengers needed Loki to play bait in order to catch an even bigger bad guy. Loki knew how to contact this person, and the feds wanted him to agree to lure the villain out of hiding. He had been refusing over and over again.  
You weren't even this nervous for your first ever interrogation. You had gotten yourself into this though, so you had no choice but to try to calm down and get him to agree to the op. If only you had kept your mouth shut.  
But, no.  
Your mind went back to this morning, when you had saw some of your federal agent colleagues torturing the god in question in order to coerce him into cooperating. You stormed into the room and demanded that they stop. The two agents were clearly surprised and asked you if you knew that Loki had been the cause of the battle of New York.  
"I. am. aware." You had snapped, a sudden burst of anger hitting you. 

"You know what? If you have any better ideas of how to get him to agree, have at it. You don't like the way we do things, then do it yourself."  
They left the room, and your hatred for the agents had dissipated as you glanced at Loki's bloodied face. Instead, a few tears had formed in your eyes as your heart wrenched for Loki. Your voice was soft, and against your better judgment you walked up to him. "Are you alright?"

"I've had worse." Loki's eyes went to the ground.  
"Can I- can I get you anything?"  
Loki chuckled darkly, this time looking directly into your eyes.  
"You must be horrible at your job. Generally, the good guys don't ask the bad guys what they can do for them. Instead, they use force to get what they want."  
Your voice wavered. "I don't believe in that." There was a moment of silence before you said, "I'll be back, but in the meantime I'll send someone to fix the damage my colleagues caused. No funny business, okay?" You had turned and left the room, which Thor had been so gracious enough to tell the United States government that Loki would ordinarily be able to get out of. Thor had told the director of the FBI the proper precautions to take to ensure Loki didn't escape, so essentially it was Loki-proofed.

You were brought back to the present by the sound of voices in the hall. It was almost dusk, and your coworkers solemn wishes of luck throughout the day left your stomach in knots. You had taken refuge in the bathroom, splashing your face in cold water to try to calm yourself.  
It partially worked, and you took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out into the hall.  
"Good luck in there, Y/N." One of the agents that tortured Loki earlier smirked at you, clearly hoping thinking you'd fail.  
"Bite me, Todd." Your face was blank but on the inside, you were freaking out. If you didn't get what the government needed to know, you would definitely be the laughing stock of that part of the bureau. And something told you that Loki wouldn't be giving up information that easily. 

You pulled the door to the interrogation room open and slipped inside, drowning out the laughter of the two dweebs in the hall.  
You took in the sight of the still damaged, but slightly patched up Loki.  
"You're back." Loki seemed genuinely surprised that you came, and you smiled.  
"I told you I'd come back, didn't I?"  
Despite his condition, Loki cracked a small smile at your teasing words. 

"My name is Y/N, Mr. Laufeyson. I'll just be honest, you have something that I need and I have something that might interest you. It won't be complete freedom, but Tony Stark has agreed to keep you under his supervision at Stark Tower if you cooperate."  
You sat across from Loki at the table, noticing his intense stare.  
Clearing your throat, you pushed your hair behind your ears self consciously as you began speaking again. 

"I don't know if you quite realize your situation. If you agree to play your part in the upcoming operation, you would no longer be locked up in a room, taking beatings. Mr. Laufeyson-"  
"Loki. Call me Loki." He seemed distracted by something and he suddenly sat forward, changing the subject.  
"What is that?"  
Your brows furrowed in confusion, not realizing what he meant. "What?"  
Loki pointed to your wrist, and you had to glance down before it clicked. 

"Oh! You've never heard of it? I don't suppose you would have. Well, it's a mark that all those with soulmates have. I've had it since birth, and-"  
You shook your head, cutting yourself off.  
"We're getting off topic. As I was saying-"  
"Has it always been that color?"  
You were confused as to why he was so inquisitive, and you looked down again to see that the mark's usual color of white had turned to a remarkable shade of blue. 

Your eyes snapped to his and your breathing quickened. "N-No, it was always white because I hadn't met my soulmate.. it only changes color after you.."  
"So, that would explain why mine changed after seeing you this morning."  
You froze, watching wide eyed as Loki pushed up his shirt sleeve just enough for you to see the Y/E/C mark in the same place yours was.  
Your eyes met again, and he paused before saying the thing that you had been most hoping to hear from him. "Alright. I'll do it." 

It had been a week since you met Loki, and today was the day chosen for the op. You squinted as you took in the bright mid-afternoon sun shining above the park. As to why they decided to have Loki play bait in the middle of such a public place, you have no idea. You and a few other agents were to be watching from a surveillance van, while multiple undercover agents prowling the park would be ready to take the villain down at Loki's signal. It was roughly a half an hour before the bad guy was supposed to show up, and you and the other selected agents were piling into the van when you saw Loki getting ready to take his position on one of the park benches.  
You walk over to him, putting your hand just above your eyes to try and block out the sun. "I just wanted to say thank you and.. good luck out there." 

You turned to walk back to the van, and your hand came down from your face as you were halfway in the opposite direction. Loki caught your wrist and you turned your head, looking at him questioningly.  
He sounded almost pleased as he said, "I don't need luck, but I am honored by the sentiment." He let go of your wrist and you turned quickly, making sure to avoid the stares of the other agents as you headed for the van.  
Once you were situated in the van, you moved your eyes to the screen that was connected to a camera, which was trained on Loki. You put in your earpiece that would allow you to hear everything that Loki and the other man said, provided that he showed up of course.  
Which he did, right on time. The man in question had textured yellow skin resembling the tips of fingers after being submerged in water for too long, with odd, grey scaly patches here and there. 

The look of him made your own skin crawl, but for the right reasons. The man's black eyes held a coldness that you had never seen before, yet his grey lips were turned upwards into a smirk. You had a bad feeling in your stomach and you tried to swallow the fear that was clawing just below your throat.  
You were afraid for Loki, not for yourself. Maybe you should have been. 

As the man walked confidently towards Loki, you held your breath, waiting for the first words to be said.  
Loki stood from where he was perched on the park bench and extended his hand out for the yellow skinned man to shake.  
The man accepted, shaking as a huff of laughter escaped from his lips. Even his laugh was unsettling.  
"Why have you called me here today?" The man was still laughing, his words muffled so that if you weren't already straining your ears you wouldn't have heard them.  
Loki opened his mouth to reply but before he could, the yellow skinned man cut him off.  
"Does it have anything to do with those insolent creatures listening to our every word?"

Before anyone could react, the yellow skinned man clenched his fist and it felt as if the wind were knocked out of you. Scratch that; it felt like a boa constrictor was wrapping itself around your chest, squeezing the air out of your lungs and suffocating you. The other agents in the van as well as the undercover ones seemed to be affected as well, most of them doubling over and futilely trying to breathe.  
"What are you doing?" Loki's voice was calm, yet his eyes held an urgency that he couldn't quite hide. "Saving myself, and freeing you while I'm at it. I am simply doing away with those pesky beings."  
Loki held both of his hands up and this time the urgency crept into his voice. "I implore you to stop."

"Stop? You should be thanking me." The yellow skinned man laughed as he squeezed his fist even tighter, and the faces of you and the other agents were turning a dangerous shade of red. The worst pain you had felt in your life was spreading from your chest to your head, due to the lack of oxygen entering your body.  
Then Loki visibly relaxed and held his hands out. "If it is thanks you desire, it's thanks you shall get." 

Loki pulled the dangerous yellow skinned man in for a 'grateful' embrace, and as his hands went behind the evil man's back, a dagger suddenly appeared in Loki's right hand. You started to see spots, and you were clutching at your chest and throat as if you could tear away the invisible force choking you. 

The dagger in Loki's hand plunged into the neck of the yellow skinned man, and the man fell gasping to the ground. The man's fist loosened as he fell, and you and the other agents gasped for air, feeling extremely light headed and lucky to be alive. Loki ripped the dagger from the man's neck, and blood gushed from his wound to the grass. In a few moments, the life went out of his eyes. It took a few minutes for your breathing to be remotely steady, but when it did, you shakily climbed out of the van. 

Loki rushed to you, taking in your tear stained cheeks and heaving chest and putting to and to together that you had been choking.  
You didn't ask for him to, but he pulled you into his chest and wrapped his arms around you, just tight enough that you felt safe but not so tight that you couldn't breathe.  
Without meaning for them to, a few tears fell from your eyes and he whispered comforting words into your ear. You couldn't tell what they were exactly, all you noticed was the calm that began spreading through your body when he spoke. 

When you felt like you were going to be alright, you pulled back and so did Loki.  
Maybe it should have been because you two didn't know each other, but it wasn't at all awkward.  
Well, until the head of the op decided to make an appearance.  
Her blonde hair framed her face, and she brushed her bangs out of her eyes before speaking. "The whole point of the operation was to capture that man, not kill him. What were you thinking?" Her words were chastising and her frosty blue eyes peered deeply into Loki's. 

Loki laughed in disbelief. "I was 'thinking' that I was saving your life, and those of the rest of your kind. You're welcome, by the way."  
Your superior scoffed. "You won't be receiving any gratitude from me. You made things difficult and ruined the whole operation."  
Loki took a step towards your superior and you stepped between them, putting your hand on his chest without really meaning to. "Loki, don't. Just ignore it, it's okay."  
He looked like he still had half a mind to do something not-so-nice to the woman, but he took a breath and stepped back. 

Your superior glanced down at the mark on the wrist near Loki's chest, then moved her eyes to the identical mark on Loki's wrist (excluding the color) and her eyes widened.  
"Y/N, you should not have been here today. Was that the reason you ruined our plan?" The way the woman said 'that' implied that you were insignificant, and it was clear that Loki didn't agree.  
A sound came from the back of Loki's throat that was much like a growl, and he said, "I would be extremely careful how you speak to or about Y/N, or else I shall have to remove your tongue. Let's see how chatty you are then." 

You felt a sense of dread at the extreme reprimanding you would most definitely receive, yet also pride. No one had ever stood up for you like that before, and though you felt it was taken a bit too far, your heart swelled and the corners of your lips turned up just enough for Loki to notice.  
Your superior stormed off, and you said incredulously, "Do you have any idea what you just did?"  
"Yes, and though I know you don't want to, a small part of you rather enjoyed it."

You couldn't help smiling, and you both stood there for a few moments before the armored car that escorted Loki to the park arrived to take him back.  
"I can't thank you enough for what you did today."  
Your face grew solemn as you remembered what happened just a short while ago.  
Just before Loki was ushered away, he said, "You thank me enough by being alive."  
And the sight of him being shut into the armored car, and the sensation of your breath catching in your throat, was something you remembered for a long while afterwards.


	2. The Universe and Loki Laufeyson Part Two

It was the day after the op-gone-wrong, and you came to check in on Loki in the interrogation room.   
Loki's expression was crestfallen, and before he had time to mask it, you asked him what was wrong.   
He paused, licking his lips before sarcastically speaking. "I just received word that I will no longer be transported to Stark Tower. The fine establishment in which you work believes I am a danger to everyone within stabbing distance of me." 

You were at a loss for words, but while you were thinking of what to say, you noticed that Loki's hands were restrained on the table.  
A white hot anger entered your body, yet you felt cold all over.   
"They can't just do that, it isn't fair! You gave up your chance at freedom to save us!"   
Loki looked almost pleased by your outburst. "Apparently, they can." His words were full of disdain and he emphasized 'can'.

"I'll be back." You were fueled by fury and rage and didn't know exactly what you were going to do, but you knew you had to do something. You barged into your superior's office, fully ready to tell her just exactly what you thought, and saw something you didn't really want to see. Your eyes landed on your superior, who was in a rather scandalous position on her desk with Todd between her knees, and they paled when they saw you. 

You stood smirking with your arms crossed while your superior got her bearings and buttoned up her blouse.   
She fixed her cold eyes on Todd as she slid off her desk and said, "I thought I told you to lock the door."  
A plan popped into your head that in the past, you would have dropped dead before carrying out.   
Now, your smirk stayed firmly on your face as you cunningly said, "Oh, but he didn't. And now we find ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. See, I usually would have had to report this to someone higher up than yourself, but I might be swayed into looking the other way."

You didn't know where this confidence was coming from, but you felt absolutely crazy. She was still your boss, and it was a dangerous game you were playing.   
"Blackmail, Y/N? It doesn't suit you." Her words were ice, but there was a vulnerability in her eyes that gave her away. You had her where you wanted her.   
"No more than sleeping with your scumbag subordinate in the office suits you. Yet here we are."  
You shifted your hands to your hips as she said, "What do you want, Y/N? A promotion?"

Your smirk slipped just a little. "No, I want something which was already promised to Loki Laufeyson. I want him to be moved to his rightful place at Stark Tower."   
Your superior dryly laughed, saying, "Of course, I should have known. Even if it were up to me, I wouldn't let him out of here in a million years."  
Your eyes narrowed and all playfulness was gone. Your voice was dangerous as you said, "I don't think I made myself clear. Let's try it again. If you don't fight for Loki to be moved to Stark Tower, I will file a report with all the details of you and lover boys little rendezvous in the office. I wonder how much they'll demote you, and where your new office will be. That's if they don't fire you, of course."

All amusement left the woman's face as the weight of you words hit her.   
"I-I'll do my best."  
You paused before flashing her a smile. "Good. I'm glad we didn't have to make things difficult. Have a wonderful day, ma'am. Todd." You took your leave, making a smug face at Todd as you went out the door.   
You found yourself walking towards the interrogation room. You really wanted to tell Loki what just happened, and then you walked in the room he gave you a big, amused smile. 

You were confused. Did he already know? "The look on your face tells me that you just did something I would greatly approve of."   
You smiled widely at him before sitting down and relaying what happened in your superior's office.   
By the end, Loki was laughing and you took a mental picture of the look on his face.   
"Even if I end up staying right here, I shall be grateful for your efforts. I believe you've made my day."   
His words warmed your heart and you smiled softly at him. 

"I'm curious to know how these soulmate things work. Do all Midgardians have them?"  
You were stunned by the out of the blue question for a moment before answering, "No. Most people do, but there are some who don't. And there are some who disregard the markings completely and live life as if they didn't exist."   
Loki was watching you intently, noticing the way you were fidgeting and avoiding his gaze.   
"Not you, though, right?"  
You nodded. "Right. When I was younger, I hoped for the day when the mark would change colors and fate would bring me to the person that was meant for me. I had no idea what it would be like, I just really wanted to meet them. When I got older though, more and more of my friends found their soulmates and I.. I guess I lost hope in finding mine. Sometimes I even thought that maybe the universe had made a mistake and that I didn't have one or that I would never find them. That's what happened to my mom. She was born with a mark but she never found who she was supposed to be with, so she married my dad, who was born without a mark. They're happy and in love, but.. I think I would have been crushed if that happened to me."

There were tears in your eyes towards the end and you quickly brushed them away.  
Then you let out a small laugh and said, "I'm sorry, I just went off on a tangent. What did you think the mark was all those years?"   
Loki smiled softly at you. "That's alright. I enjoyed listening. Well my father believed it was a curse but my mother, Frigga, thought it had something to do with fate. She turned out to be right. I got used to it and didn't think about it all that much." 

Then his smile fell and he was silent for a moment before saying, "I'm going to be perfectly honest because that's what I feel you deserve. It's very unlike me, but we seem to be having that affect on one another. I think the universe screwed you over by tying you to me. It wasn't fair for you. I can't.. I will likely never have any freedom and the things that I have done are terrible. You shouldn't have been paired with.. with someone like me."   
You touched his hand, then remembered the restraints and without a word, you came over to his side of the table and loosened the restraints enough to where Loki could get out of them. You weren't thinking before acting, which was extremely unlike you, but you kind of liked it. You stayed on that side of the table, half sitting on and leaning against the metal while facing Loki. 

He looked up at you as you spoke.   
"I don't know what thoughts are surfacing in that brilliant brain of yours, but I don't care what you've done in the past. I care about you giving up your freedom to save my life, and you hardly know me. I also care about you defending me, even though it could have gotten me in major trouble."   
Loki's grin grew wider with every few words so that by the time you were finished speaking, the most breathtaking smile was on his face.

He stood from his seat and rubbed his thumb across the mark on your wrist, his voice almost a whisper as he said, "I wish I could've met you sooner."   
You swallowed before looking into his eyes. "Me too."   
It seemed like the both of you were slowly leaning in without realizing it, and your eyes had almost closed when you were interrupted by the alarm on your watch.  
You moved away, glancing down at the time and saying with a nervous tone, "I'm sorry, I lost track of time, and I was supposed to be out of here ten minutes ago. I have to go or I'll be late for dinner with my parents." 

You didn't quite know how to bid him goodbye, but you were in a hurry so you leaned up and pressed a kiss to Loki's cheek before saying, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"  
He nodded as you rushed out of the room, and just as the door clicked behind you, Loki touched his fingers to his cheek with a small smile forming on his lips.


	3. The Universe and Loki Laufeyson Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention, this is a female reader insert!

You arrived at your parents' house just in time for dinner. You parked behind a vehicle that didn't seem familiar, and you thought that they must have invited another guest. This wasn't unusual, so you didn't think anything of it. As you crossed the doorway, a delicious smell filled your senses. The old, hardwood floor creaked as you walked and your eyes met the sight of your mother placing a dish on the dining table. Your father and a blonde, moderately attractive guy about your age were already seated at the table. 

When the guy you didn't know saw you, he stood from his chair and pulled the chair beside him out for you. You gave him a small smile and a thank you as you sat down. You looked questioningly at your father as your mother and the mystery guy took their seats.   
"Your mother and I invited Jeffrey so we could introduce the two of you."  
You glanced over at the mystery guy, er, Jeffrey and he smiled at you. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/N."

Your smile was more of a grimace as it clicked that your parents were trying to set you up. "Likewise. I apologize for possibly getting your hopes up, Jeffrey, but I was actually going to tell you- well, my parents, that I found my soulmate."  
Jeffrey looked down at his plate in what was most likely embarassment and your mother exclaimed, "What? Why didn't you tell us? Well, I guess it isn't important since we know now. When do we get to meet him?"

"That's the thing. He's sort of.. in prison." You bit your lip and nervously awaited their reaction. It was as you expected. Your father nearly choked on a mouth full of food and your mother shrieked, "What?"   
You winced and sunk a little farther into your seat. "Loki Laufeyson is my soulmate. I know to you this might not be.. ideal, but-"  
"Ideal?" Your mother's voice was shrill and her eyes were wide. "No, it's certainly not. That alien was responsible for the battle of New York, or have you forgotten how much of a monster that thing is? There must have been a mistake. You're absolutely not-" 

While she was speaking, something snapped inside of you and you stood whilst slamming your hands on the table. "He is not a monster. It is true that he has made a lot of regrettable decisions, but Loki saved my life. Anything he did in the past should stay there. Whether you like it or not, Loki is my soulmate and-"

Your mother stood up as well, and if you hadn't have been so angry, the look she gave you would have made your skin crawl. "You would speak to your family that way, over someone you barely even know? I see how much we mean to you and how much you care about us, after everything we've done for you and sacrificed-"

Your voice was softer than it had been, yet still firm. "Don't do that. I love you guys, you know that, but it hurts that you're not as happy as I am that I finally found my soulmate. When I'm with him, it's like I've known him all my life, and I.. I can't think about anything or anyone else." 

It was silent for a few moments before your father spoke. "Honey, we just want what's best for you. If you're dead set on this Loki fellow, then-"   
"Oh, absolutely not!" Your mother said, leaning over the table towards you. "I forbid it." You could hardly believe the words that came from her mouth. You scoffed, "You can't control my life, it's mine. I'm done having this discussion. I think I should go. It was nice meeting you Jeffrey." Jeffrey awkwardly nodded, and your father stood up to hug you goodbye. "Bye, dad. Love you." Your mother huffed and rolled her eyes when you glanced her way, and you brushed away a tear as you left. 

The next day, you went in to work with a smile on your face as if yesterday's events weren't clouding your mind. You walked into your superior's office and asked for your assignment, noting her unusual peppiness.   
"I made a convincing case for Loki, and he is actually being moved to Stark Tower today. You won't be the one to transport him, but I thought you might want to be the one to tell him. Just to be clear, this means I don't owe you anything anymore." She smiled dismissively and you turned on your heels and hurried to tell Loki. 

Loki was pacing back and forth when you walked in, but perched on the edge of the table upon seeing you.   
You gave him a wide smile and moved towards him, but in your excitement your foot caught on the leg of the chair and you stumbled forwards. Loki reached forward to steady you with his hands gripping your sides, and your hands went to Loki's shoulders. Your faces were close, and you almost stopped breathing when his eyes locked onto yours. You were frozen in place until he, in typical Loki fashion, smirked and said, "You already can't keep your hands off of me. You know, you could've just asked." 

You moved your hands off of his shoulders but you couldn't go far because Loki's hands trailed down to your hips, keeping you close.  
Whatever was going on between the two of you felt.. weirdly right. 

You brushed that thought away, the altercation between you and your mother suddenly filling your thoughts. Your eyes fell down to his emerald shirt for a moment before you glanced back up at him and said, "I've come with good news. You'll be moving to Stark Tower sometime today."  
The corners of his lips turned up for a brief moment before he asked, "Well, don't look too excited. What's the matter?"

You sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm happy for you, I really am. I just- I don't know where this goes from here." You weren't technically lying, but you weren't going to tell him that yesterday's dinner with your parents was the real problem.  
His face relaxed and he retorted in an amused tone, "Well, you'll come and visit me, won't you?"

You bit your lip and his eyes lingered on your mouth before moving back up to your eyes. "If I can. I'm not sure if Tony Stark is too keen on visitors, or if.." You trailed off.  
Loki raised a brow, a teasing smile on his lips. "Do you ever do anything you shouldn't?"

You put your hands on top of his, lingering for only a moment before gently pushing his hands off your hips. You couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Now that you mention it, I've actually been doing a lot of things that I probably shouldn't have, ever since I met you." 

His eyes practically sparkled as you said that, and you could tell he was feeling pretty proud of himself.  
"Speaking of, I've been in here too long. I should get back to work. I-" You cut yourself off, not really knowing what to say.   
You felt tears start to form in your eyes and you went to turn away but Loki caught your arm and pulled you into him. 

He wrapped his arms around you as your palms pressed against his chest, and one of his hands lightly stroked your hair. You stood like that until you felt a little better, and somehow stronger, than you were.   
You pulled away, saying, "I really have to go now. Goodbye, Loki."   
"I'll see you again soon, Y/N."  
His reassuring smile sent a wave of warmth and courage through you just before the door shut behind you.  
You let out a breath, composing yourself before heading to carry out your assignment.

As you were getting ready to head home that evening, your superior called you into her office when she saw you pass by. She handed you a slip of paper that contained instructions for getting into Stark Tower and a telephone phone number to call and give security notice before visiting.   
"This was faxed over for you by Mr. Stark. I don't know why it came to me, but in the future, make sure you take care of such matters so that I don't have to. You may go now."  
It was good to see she was back to her usual, dreadful self. You sighed as you turned and walked out of her office.

You'd just gotten in your car and put your seatbelt on when your phone rang. You took it out of your pocket and checked who was calling before answering, "Hey, mom. How are you?"

"How am I? After yesterday, you're really going to ask me how I am?"

You pinched the bridge of your nose before replying tiredly, "If you're going to jump all over me, I'd rather you didn't. I'm just trying to be nice, mom."  
"Well, you certainly weren't being nice when you ruined the dinner with Jeffrey. He was a sweetheart and accepted my proposal to reschedule, of course just the two of you next time. You're meeting him tomorrow night, seven o'clock at Alfonzo's-"

You sighed in frustration. "Mom, I'm not going to dinner with Jeffrey. I told you-"

Her voice rose and you had to hold the phone away from your ear. "Y/F/N, Y/M/N, Y/L/N! I really don't believe you. I can't even recognize my own daughter-"

You didn't exactly know where you stood with Loki. Regardless, you had feelings for Loki that weren't going to go away because of one date with another guy, so you gave in.  
"Fine, alright, I'll go. But just tomorrow night, and that's it. I-I don't want to be with anyone else, mom. I just know in my heart that Loki is it for me."  
Your mother's voice soured. "I'd hold off on saying anything like that until you go out with Jeffrey. Promise me you'll go, Y/N."

You knew she didn't understand, even though you desperately wanted her to. You thought that if you played your cards right, you could somehow make her see it your way. Besides, Jeffrey seemed like a decent guy, and you felt that it would be terrible of you to blow him off a second time. "I promise."


	4. The Universe and Loki Laufeyson Part Four

It felt nice to wake up on your own the next morning. You had the day off, so the usual blaring alarm was replaced by warm and peaceful sunshine.  
You stretched, a small smile on your lips as you thought about visiting Loki. Your heart raced in anticipation of seeing him again, and you would be lying if you said you didn't have butterflies at the thought of him. 

You sat up, running a hand through your hair as you grabbed the sheet of paper with Stark Tower's security number on it.   
You dialed the number, pacing as you let the head of security know to expect you today. After giving the heads up, you changed into your favorite casual outfit and gave yourself a once-over in the bedroom mirror. You locked your door on the way out and made your way to Stark Tower.

It was definitely intimidating. You had to show security your ID before they would let you in, and once you were inside, you were basically rushed into an elevator. The head of security pushed one of the buttons, saying, "Laufeyson has a private, isolated floor. When you get off the elevator, there's a button on the wall directly across from it. If you are in need of emergency assistance, just press it and someone will be right up to help. Good luck."

His tone made it clear he thought you had a death wish. The elevator doors opened and you said, "Thank you, but I don't think I'll need it."   
You stepped off the elevator and gave a small wave to the head of security. He stared straight at you, never moving as the doors closed. 

Alrighty then. 

Looking around, you called out Loki's name before biting your lip. You heard something crash in one of the nearby rooms and you cautiously made your way towards the noise. Just before you reached the doorway where the sound was coming from, a disheveled Loki hurriedly came out of it. 

"Y/N! It is most pleasing to see you." He sounded breathless, a nervous smile on his face.  
You smiled amusedly. "It's good to see you too, Loki. What was that noise?" 

He licked his lips while crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned against the doorway, saying, "I accidentally knocked a few things over in my haste to greet you."  
"It sounds like someone is excited to see me." You had an eyebrow raised and a light tone of voice, obviously teasing. Loki, however, wasn't joking when he said, "Yes, very much so. In fact, since you departed yesterday, I think I've been anticipating our next meeting a little too much."

Your heart began to beat a little faster at his words and your smile faltered just a bit. "I-Loki, that's.. that's really sweet of you to say."  
You took a small step towards him, and that was enough to encourage Loki. He came close to you, sliding his hand down your arm to your wrist and-  
A beeping made Loki stop suddenly, and he excitedly pulled you along down the hallway by your wrist into a room that was obviously the kitchen.   
The smell of chocolate hit you as Loki dropped your wrist, turning to shut the oven timer off. 

You took a mental picture as Loki put on an oven mitt before getting out what could only be chocolate chip cookies.  
The sight was enough to make anyone laugh, and laugh you did.   
"Baking is no laughing matter, Y/N."  
He tried his best to give you a stern look, but failed miserably and ended up laughing just as hard as you were. 

After the laughter died down, Loki patted the oven mitt as he asked, "What do you think?" He gestured to the cookies and you smiled at his hopeful expression. You hopped up onto the counter, picking a cookie. You tested it to see if it was cool enough before saying, "Well, they certainly look delicious."   
You took a tentative bite as Loki watched you expectantly, and you were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. The chocolate was perfectly melted and the cookie had just the right ratio of softness and chewiness. "Oh, wow. Loki, this is actually amazing."

A slow smile formed on his face as he said, "Really? You're not just saying that?"  
You shook your head vigorously, not being able to speak because your mouth was full. After you'd finished chewing, you said, "Absolutely not! That was unbelievable."  
He leaned forwards on his arms on the counter next to you, casting his eyes down to his hands as the smile on his face grew with pride.  
Your voice was softer as you added, "You keep surprising me." 

He looked up at you, smile fading and you noticed how close the two of you were. Close enough that you could-   
"Hey, not sure exactly what I'm interrupting, but I thought I would stop in unannounced to check in. Before you say anything, reindeer games, I can do that since I own the place."

Tony Stark, the man who really doesn't need introductions, walked up to you and stuck his hand out for you to shake. You stared at the mostly empty bag of gummy bears in his hand, and he quickly realized his mistake and switched the bag to his other hand. You shook it, glancing over at Loki's annoyed expression before looking back to Tony.  
"I'm glad you're here, Y/N. Now I don't have to spring for a babysitter. 'Goldilocks' made sure to let me know all of the dangers of leaving Loki to his own devices for too long, so after I heard that he had a soulmate in a government agency, I was all for it. You're welcome to visit anytime, as long as you give a heads up like you did today. With that, I have to be going to that meeting that Pepper set up or I won't hear the end of it. See you around, Y/N." Tony gave a little wave before turning and leaving the room.  
"Pepper is his girlfriend, right?"

Loki nodded, saying, "Yes, she is. Feisty, that one. She had many things to say to me yesterday, all deserved of course. The love between them is evident."   
You smiled and waited a moment before saying, "So, do you want to show me around?"  
Loki extended a hand to help you down, but he didn't let go of your hand even after you were back on the ground.   
You hid your smile as he led you out into the hallway. He motioned to the door across from the kitchen with his other hand and said, "Right, well just across the hall from the kitchen is the bedroom."

He turned and you followed him down the corridor, your hand remaining in his. You felt butterflies in your stomach just from that little touch.   
He stopped in front of another doorway for a second before walking and pulling you through it. You looked around at the bookshelves and other things that filled the room as he spoke. "This is my favorite room, the study. There are books and comfortable reading spaces, not to mention the chess table in the corner. Do you play?"   
You could tell he was excited about everything in the room by the pace of his voice and the look on his face. 

"I do. My father and I used to play all the time. You play chess?"  
He nodded, a sparkle in his eye. He sat on the loveseat, bringing you with him. "Perhaps we could play sometime. I'd like to hear more about your father. He's very important to you?"  
You smiled. "He is, yeah. We've always been close. He would always encourage me to do what would make me happy instead of what my mother wanted me to. I never had to beg for his approval like I had to with my mother."

"You and I might have more in common than I thought."   
He smiled softly but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I imagine becoming a government agent didn't go over well, then?"  
You shook your head, and Loki moved his thumb across your skin in a comforting gesture.   
"Not at all. My father was worried of course, but in the end my happiness was all that mattered to him. My mother tried to change my mind and manipulate my decision, and I think that was the only time I've ever really stood up to her. Things got pretty dark after that, but my mother eventually came to terms with it after realizing that I wasn't going to budge." 

There was a few moments of silence before you said, "I'm sorry, that was probably too much to say-"  
"No! Don't apologize. I want to know everything that you have to tell me."   
You smiled at his sweetness and subconsciously moved closer to him.   
He took his hand away and put his arm around you, and you leaned into him, resting your head against his shoulder. The thought entered your mind that you wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Loki said, "I'm immensely enjoying your company."  
You smiled with a blush coming to your cheeks. "Me too."  
You looked up at him and he was already looking at you.   
His gaze flickered from your eyes to your lips and back again.   
You felt him start to lean in and his arm got tighter around you, pulling you close.   
Just as your noses brushed against each other, your watch beeped and interrupted the two of you once again.   
You leaned back and he let go of you with a sigh. 

"I'd like to destroy that wretched thing." He said amusedly, a hint of frustration in his voice.   
"I'm sorry, I have to go get ready for a dinner with-" You sighed and cut yourself off, thinking that it wasn't a good idea to tell him who you were meeting.   
"Believe me, I would much rather stay here with you, but.. I promised my mother I'd be there."   
"It is important to keep promises." He smiled softly at you and you both stood up, walking hand in hand to the elevator. 

You pushed the down button and looked up at Loki who was staring straight ahead with his jaw locked.   
You dropped his hand and when he glanced over at you, you pulled him into a hug. Your arms were wrapped around his neck and his arms came around your waist.   
You stood there in each other's embrace until the elevator dinged doors opened. 

You reluctantly pulled away and you walked backwards into the elevator, pushing the ground floor. You gave a small smile and a wave as the doors started to close.   
Loki's hand stopped them from closing all the way, and he just stood there looking at you for a second.   
Confused, you stepped closer to him until you were right in front of him.   
"Loki, what-"

You were cut off by his lips pressing against yours.   
A fire sparked and ignited within you, and you put your hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you even closer.   
Your mouths moved together perfectly, and one of your hands went up from his chest to the nape of his neck, your fingers curling in his dark hair.  
You both eventually pulled away, and you stepped back from the doors. 

"I- I have to go. I'll be back sometime soon, okay?" You were breathless and still reeling from the kiss, and it looked like Loki was just as affected by it as you were.   
He ran his hands through his hair as he leaned back against the wall across from the elevator.   
The doors closed just as he flashed you a smile, and you let out a shaky breath. 

How were you supposed to go on a date with someone else after that?


	5. The Universe and Loki Laufeyson Part Five

You couldn't stop thinking about Loki no matter how hard you tried not to.   
He consumed your thoughts the whole time you were changing and on the way to the restaurant.   
You searched for Jeffrey as you walked in, and when you finally saw him he was standing up from a table, smiling at you.   
You made your way over to him and smiled at him in greeting. He held your chair out for you and you thanked him as he sat down across from you. 

"I just want to go ahead and say that.. I'm sorry for how our last meeting went. If I had known-"

"Please don't apologize. In fact, I wanted to have dinner with you to have a chance to thank you." He gave you a wide smile and your eyebrows rose in surprise.  
"Thank me?" Jeffrey stretched his hand across the table and touched yours briefly before thinking twice about it and pulling his hand back. You caught a glimpse of the soulmate marking that you hadn't noticed before on the palm of his hand.  
"Yes, I wanted to thank you for the way you fought for your soulmate. You helped restore my faith in finding mine. I'd given up a long time ago but seeing the way that you already cared so much for your soulmate made me realize that I don't want anyone else other than my soulmate."

You relaxed and smiled at him, saying, "That's wonderful, Jeffrey. I'm glad I could be a part of that."  
Just as you said the last word, you heard a voice asking the two of you if you were ready to order. Jeffrey froze as he looked up, watching the small soulmate marking on the worker's palm turn a dark green. The worker seemed to notice this too and stared at Jeffrey in surprise. Slow smiles appeared on both of their faces and you rose from your seat, deciding to tell Jeffrey goodnight and head out. He didn't pay any attention as you left, completely enamored with his soulmate, and you really couldn't blame him.   
In fact, you wanted to go back to Loki that instant but you fought the urge and made your way back home. You checked your phone and noticed a voicemail from your mother, and you sighed as you listened to her voice reminding you to call her when you were back from your 'date'. 

You took a deep breath before dialing her number and waited until she answered. "So, how'd it go? I hope you say it went terrifically, I-"  
"It actually did! Jeffrey found his soulmate."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before your mother said, "Well, that's not a problem. There's plenty of other men out there-"  
You rolled your eyes and settled down on your couch. "Mom, I've told you, I don't want anyone else but Loki." As you said his name, you smiled and your mother could tell that from your voice.   
"Please don't tell me that you're falling for that thing."   
You couldn't believe she just said that, and you ended the call before you said anything you'd regret. 

A couple of days later, after you got out of work, you had called Stark Tower security and let them know you'd be coming by again.  
You were longing to see him and the elevator ride up to Loki's floor seemed to take ages and ages. The doors finally opened and you exited the elevator, walking down the hall and checking the study. He was sitting on the sofa, head bent with his back to the door. When he heard you say his name, he turned his head and smiled softly at you. There were bruises and cuts on his face, and you gasped. 

"Loki! What happened?" You hurriedly came to stand in front of him and your eyes watered as you looked more closely at the wounds. "Are you okay?" Your voice came out as a whisper and was laced with worry. He took one of your hands in his as he replied, "Yes, I'm alright. For some reason, this morning Stark asked if I'd want to go with him on an errand, likely just so I would be able to get out of the building for a bit. I of course said yes and while we were out, a few men recognized me then took me by surprise and attacked me for my treachery against New York. They put in a few good hits before Stark and I handled the situation."

You gently cupped the side of his face with your free hand, your voice wavering as you softly said, "Oh, Loki."  
He released your other hand from his hold and leaned into the one that was touching his face.   
You said without thinking, "I wish you'd be more careful. I don't want to lose you, you know."  
He gazed into your eyes and put his hands on your hips, pulling you closer and guiding you to straddle him.  
Your other hand moved to rest on Loki's chest, his own hands traveled up and his arms wrapped around your waist and lower back. There was hardly any space left between you.

His voice was a whisper and his eyes were fixed on yours as he said, "You won't.. I promise."   
You leaned in and tentatively pressed your lips to his, not wanting to hurt him. He obviously didn't care about that though, and he feverishly kissed you back. Sparks flew as he practically devoured your lips, like you were an oasis of water after spending his whole life wandering through the desert.   
Loki couldn't get enough of you, and when you finally broke apart, it wasn't long before he'd captured your lips again.   
It was a shorter kiss than the first, yet just as amazing and you curled your fingers into his hair. 

When you pulled back from that kiss, you were both breathing heavily and, to tell the truth, you were a little dazed. Kissing Loki was like nothing you'd ever felt before, and you had a feeling that you might crave his lips on yours after you left.  
Loki seemed to be having similar thoughts because he stared at your lips as he breathlessly said, "I can't- I just can't help myself."

He kissed you again with everything he had, and at this point you felt that you must be dreaming because it just kept getting better and better. You moaned into his lips and he tightened his arms around you, keeping you in his hold for a few more moments before loosening his grip. 

You pulled back once again, this time removing your hands from his hair and shakily standing up. 

You turned away for a moment and waited until your breathing was almost back to normal before you faced him and said, "I- wow. I don't even know what to say."   
Loki stood up slowly and there was an expression on his face that you couldn't quite make sense of. "I do." 

He seemed to want to say something else before closing his eyes and breathing deeply. When he opened his eyes again, the look on his face had vanished, and he gave you a small smile when a beeping sounded from one of the other rooms. "I have a surprise for you." 

He held his hand out to you and you took it, lacing your fingers together as he led you to the kitchen.   
As you entered the room, you noticed that a delicious smell filled the air. "I watched something on the television that taught me to make something called baked spaghetti. Would you- would you stay? For dinner." He added 'for dinner' quite quickly. 

You smiled and told him that you'd love to, and Loki kissed the back of your hand before letting it go and turning to get the food out of the oven.   
You glanced at the table in the corner and saw that he had set it already, and you smirked as he turned back to face you and plate the food. 

He noticed the look and asked, "What?" He followed your gaze to the table and gave you a 'you caught me' smile.   
You walked towards Loki and gave him a peck on the cheek before taking both of your plates to the table.  
There was an abundance of laughter over dinner as Loki told you some of the tricks he used to play on Thor when they were children. Just as the two of you were finishing up, Loki told you about the time he transformed from a snake and stabbed Thor. 

You gasped, "Loki!"  
He held his hands up in a defensive motion, saying, "He was fine afterwards.. the look on his face was priceless."   
You raised your eyebrow at him and he muttered, "You had to have been there." 

You had to bite back a smile at the expression on his face. As both of you finished your food, Loki rose from his seat and began to walk through the doorway, gesturing for you to join him. You followed him to his bedroom, and before your heart could begin hammering in your chest, Loki sat on a sofa in the corner of the room instead of the bed.   
You walked over to the sofa and moved to sit right next to him before you decided to drape your legs over his lap and rest your head on his chest, just below his neck.   
As Loki resumed his storytelling (upon your request) you closed your eyes, and you really shouldn't have because the sound of his smooth voice and feel of his thumb rubbing light circles on your arm had you quickly drifting off to sleep.


	6. The Universe and Loki Laufeyson Part Six

When you next opened your eyes, you found yourself in what you realized was Loki's bed with warm sunlight pouring in from the windows. You looked around the room and saw no sign of him, and you took a second to recall everything that happened the day before. Your lips lifted into a smile as your fingers grazed them, the memory of Loki's kisses flooding your mind. After a few moments, as you were getting up, you glanced back at the bed and noticed that the blankets were only messy where you'd been sleeping.   
You guessed that Loki had put you in the bed and slept on the couch, and you ventured into the hallway to try and find him. 

It was an easy search, eyes landing on his back as you came closer to the doorway of the kitchen. You smiled as you watched Loki cook on the stovetop before coming to stand right behind him.   
You wrapped your arms around his abdomen as he said, "Good morning, darling." 

You hummed. "Pet names? I like it. Im sorry about falling asleep. I guess it's a good thing I didn't have to work today."   
You kissed his back through his shirt before putting your arms back to your sides and leaning against the counter.

"Yes, it is." You could hear the smile in his voice, and he plated the food he'd been making before turning and looking at you.   
Your breath caught in your throat at the tender and loving way he gazed at you. You cleared your throat, your cheeks flushing with heat.   
"You're becoming quite the chef, huh?" 

There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes and he stepped forward until he was in front of you, one hand behind his back and the other gently lifting your jaw. Your gaze went to his lips before coming back to his eyes. He smirked before whispering, "I guess so, love."  
On the word love, Loki smeared whipped cream on your nose and lips, and you gasped.  
"Loki-" He cut you off by pressing his lips to yours.   
You couldn't really be mad when he kissed you like that, now could you? You melted into the sticky, sweet show of affection (it was your favorite one by far) and he pulled you closer, deepening the kiss. 

When you'd pulled away and Loki released his hold on you, you heard Tony's voice coming from somewhere behind you. "That was quite the show, lovebirds. Y/N, I was alerted by security that you never went home last night. I'm not going to ask any questions- just next time, let them know you're staying."   
Loki had wiped the whipped cream off of his face while Tony was speaking and handed you a towel for you to do the same. You quickly did so, blushing as you said, "I- of course. My apologies."

Tony smirked at the two of you before putting his shades on and saying, "Alright, just make sure you kids don't have too much fun in here. Wouldn't want things to get messy."  
Tony's mouth suddenly flattened and he said, "Loki, can I speak to you for a minute?"  
It was more of a demand than a request, and Tony motioned to the hallway before leaving the room. 

Loki brushed his hand against yours in passing as he followed Tony out into the hallway.   
A couple of minutes had passed, and just when you thought about eavesdropping, your phone rang.   
You answered the phone without checking who it was. "Hello?" 

"Darling, it's your mother."  
You sighed, almost wishing you had let the call go to voicemail. 

You stayed silent, waiting to see what she had to say. You were prepared to hang up again, if needed.   
"I wanted to.. apologize. It's not easy for me to say this, but I was wrong. I wanted what was best for you but I didn't realize that wasn't what I had planned for you. I- I miss you."

A slow smile spread across your face as she spoke, and you said, "Thank you for realizing that. I miss you too, mom."   
After a few minutes of catching up, you both said your goodbyes.   
"Love you too, mom. Bye." 

As you ended the call, you heard Loki come up behind you and you turned towards him.   
"Hey, what was that about?" You smiled questioningly at him, reaching out to touch his arm. He leaned back against the counter, evading your touch as well as ignoring your question. Your brows furrowed as Loki inquired, "Who was that on the phone?" 

"My mother. She was just calling to apologize." You were about to ask about Tony again when Loki probed,   
"Oh? What for?"   
You couldn't figure out what it was, but something was off about Loki. 

You responded, "When I told her that you were my soulmate, she tried to get me to date other people. She wanted what was best for me and thought that what she was trying to do was what I needed. But my heart was set on you, and I guess she finally realized that."

It was a long time before Loki spoke again, but when he did, he said, "Maybe she was right. I also only want what's best for you, and I don't think I'm.. I don't think that I am it."  
He avoided your gaze, staring at the floor beside your feet. You tried to understand what was happening but you just couldn't.   
"What?" 

"I don't think I'm what's best for you, Y/N. You should find someone else to be with, someone that treats you the way that you should be. Someone who will make you happy."  
You bit your lip anxiously, a dull ache beginning in your chest. 

"Loki, what's wrong?"  
He crossed his arms as if he were trying to put distance between you. 

"After what happened yesterday with those men on the street, Stark and I felt it would be best for me to be relocated. This would be for my safety as well as the people of New York City. I leave tomorrow. Y/N, you deserve the best life possible- and that can't be one with me in it. You should move on and find someone else, like your mother said."  
Those words were like a bullet straight to the heart, and your voice wavered with emotion as you said, "But I don't want anyone else, I want you."  
Loki finally looked you in the eyes and you wished he hadn't. What you saw there was an unbearable mix of anger, anguish, and pain. 

"You can't possibly mean that. How can you want me when being with me will tear you from your family, your home, your job? How can you want me when all we could ever have is visitations?"

There was evident desperation in your voice as you said, "I would rather have a few, fleeting moments with you each day, Loki, than a lifetime with anyone else."  
You cupped his face with your hand and he leaned into it for a moment before putting his palm over your hand and placing it at your side. "You're killing me, Y/N." His hands went to your arms and he began to guide you backwards. 

"What are you doing?" Your question was more of a plea- for him not to do what you knew he was about to.   
He didn't answer as he moved you out of the kitchen and into the hallway, you practically begging for him not to do this the whole way to the elevators.  
"You need to go home. You have to stay where you belong, and I'm leaving. It's just the way things need to be." His eyes were soft but his voice firm as he pressed the elevator button. 

"You- you can't make that choice for me. What happened to your promise that I wouldn't lose you?"  
There were tears in your eyes as it hit you that that promise was broken.  
"I can't let you throw everything away to be with me." 

You clutched at his shirt, clinging to the hope he would change his mind.   
"You have changed everything. Please, please don't do this."  
His eyes were full of pain and his voice almost broke as he said, "I have to." 

The elevator doors opened and he walked you backwards into the elevator and you pleaded with him one more time as he stood where the doors close.   
Loki looked just as broken as you, and it seemed to you like resisting was getting harder for him. 

You cupped his face in your hands, wishing that you could still be with him. Why couldn't he just listen to you?  
His eyes closed and he pulled you to him for a kiss that absolutely shattered your heart. It was a goodbye, no words, only a bittersweet ending to what you thought would be a lifetime of being together.   
The tormenting kiss ended with Loki gently but firmly pushing you further into the elevator, and he pushed the ground floor button before backing away and letting the doors begin to close.   
The last thing you saw and heard before you crumbled to the floor was the blurry figure of Loki (through your tears) and the sound of the doors closing.


	7. The Universe and Loki Laufeyson Part Seven

Weeks had passed since Loki removed himself from your life, and it seemed to you that when he left- he took your heart with him. You'd been avoiding your parent and ignoring phone calls, only leaving your house to go to work. Your body kept on going through the motions, but.. it was like you'd stopped really living.   
Well, until anger and frustration filled the emptiness. 

Tony Stark wasn't expecting you to barge in to see him the way that you did. He was surprised and amused at your sudden appearance in Stark Tower, the security guards one step behind you as you rushed towards him.

It was a good thing that you didn't intend to harm Tony because several of his security guards couldn't catch up to you as you came to a halt in front of him.   
Tony waved them away in dismissal, eyes sparkling as they stayed fixed on you. "It seems I need to find new security."

You were out of breath, and you waited until you could speak before saying, "I'm sorry for that. I needed to talk to you and it was really the only way to go about it."  
Tony just raised an eyebrow, a slightly bewildered tone to his voice. "You ever hear of this invention called a phone? They're all the rage these days."   
You were only slightly frustrated at his banter, finding that you quiet enjoyed his company. However, now wasn't the time for chit chat. You cut to the chase, "I need to know where Loki is."

Tony's eyebrows furrowed and he rubbed the crinkled spot right between them. "I can't tell you that, Y/N."  
You moved your hands to your hips, letting him know that you weren't going to give up easily. "Why not? He's my soulmate, Tony. I should be allowed to know where you sent him."

Tony sighed, a weary edge to his voice. "I didn't send Loki anywhere. A higher power than I felt that a relocation would be better for his and the public's safety. And Loki was the one to ask me not to tell you where he is."   
You looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of deceit but all you found was truth. Loki was the one who wanted to keep that from you?

You were on the verge of tears, desperately clinging to what hope you had of ever seeing Loki again. Tony's face looked pained as your voice wavered. "Please! If Pepper had left, wouldn't you want to know where she went so you could go after her? C'mon, Tony, please!"

After puppy dog eyes were displayed and he'd thought about the situation from your perspective, Tony gave in and said, "Okay, but if Loki asks, you didn't hear it from me. He's in a remote location in Pennsylvania. I'll send you the address on that thing called a phone. You really should use it sometime."

Several hours and a plethora of pit stops later, you pulled into the driveway of a secluded cabin with a ball of nerves tumbling around inside your stomach.  
The same thought that kept running through your mind like a commercial jingle reared its ugly head once again, questioning whether Loki even wanted to see you. After all, he was the one who pushed you away- he probably didn't even care how much you were hurting. 

You restlessly knocked on the dark wooden door, struggling against a sudden burst of anger. How could he just leave you like that? Loki was probably laughing at how pathetic you were, making a joke out of the time you spent together-

Your anger immediately ceased when Loki opened the door and you saw that what you'd been thinking was so far from the truth.  
Loki's hair was disheveled, probably from running his hands through it, and his eyes were bloodshot from a lack of sleep. 

His voice was heavy with exhaustion and a touch of surprise. It was so, so good to hear it again. "Y/N, how did you- what are you doing here?"

You moved as close to him as you dared, your own voice trembling with emotion. "I'm the one person that you're not supposed to leave.. you shouldn't have-"

A tear slipped down your face and you quickly brushed it away before saying, "If you honestly don't want me, I'll go. You'll never hear from me again, I promise. Tell me that you don't want me and... and I'll get back in the car and drive away. Tell me that you don't want me and this is the last time you'll ever see me." 

Pain was etched across Loki's face, and his voice was strained as he said, "I- I can't."  
You met his gaze and the torment you saw in his eyes made you lose your breath. "You can't?" 

All of Loki's restraint gave away. "I can't tell you that. I've wanted you since the first time I saw you, and I don't think I'll ever stop. For what it's worth, I'm so sorry I..."   
As he trailed off, you came closer until you were standing right in front of him, your hand resting against his chest- sending the message that he didn't have to say anything else. You could feel the warmth of his skin through his shirt and you noticed his sharp inhale as his chest rose beneath your fingertips. He hesitantly put his hand over yours, guiding your fingers upwards to rest on his cheek. Your gaze followed the movement, and when you looked back into his eyes what you saw nearly took your breath away. It was that same look that he'd given you the last morning you spent with him, that tender gaze that left you feeling warm all over. 

"If you think you can get rid of me after what you just said, you've got another thing coming-"  
Loki leaned down, silencing you as he captured your lips sweetly and intensely.   
So intensely, in fact, that you felt a little lightheaded when the kiss was over. You lowered your hand from his cheek and Loki pressed his forehead to yours as he whispered, "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

You smiled amusedly, tilting your head back to look in his eyes.   
"I think I do." You teased, letting him know the feeling was definitely mutual. Your lips came down to a straight line as you thought of the reason why you were apart in the first place. 

"Why did you push me away?"  
Loki sighed, pulling you gently into the cabin and closing the door behind him. You glanced around at the interior before your eyes settled on your soulmate once again.   
Loki's eyes bore into yours, and he paused before answering, "I really do want what's best for you, Y/N. I still don't think that I am it. And... I knew that if I fell for you any harder that I'd be too selfish and never let you go. But I think I was a little late on that. You were almost my undoing, Y/N. I was going mad without you."

You came closer to him until your chest brushed his and you looped your arms around his neck. "If you.. 'fell any harder'?"   
His voice was low and hushed as he pushed you even further into him, saying, "Do I have to say it?"  
"Yes." You looked up at him through your eyelashes, holding your breath as you awaited what you'd never imagined you'd hear.

"It frightens me how much you've bewitched me, Y/N. If I could only be with you in my dreams then I would never want to wake. I've.. I've fallen in love with you."   
"Loki-" You said his name like a prayer, all of your feelings and love for him spilling out of you in just those two syllables.

Loki's eyes burned with a sudden yearning and desire, and he stole your breath as his lips captured yours in a passionate and demanding way.   
You melted into him, your hands gripping his shoulders as he took all that he could from you.   
Loki tilted your head back slightly, deepening the kiss and eliciting a not-so-innocent sound from you.   
That seemed to encourage Loki and he picked you up, your legs hooking around his waist. Your hands went to his hair as he moved in the direction of what turned out to be the bedroom. 

You felt your back hit the bed and your lips broke apart, chests heaving as Loki hovered over you.   
Loki's body pressed down into yours in all the right places, making you gasp at the overwhelming sensations he made you feel with such little contact.   
The last thing that should have been going through your mind at that moment was the lack of security cameras in and around the cabin, but you put a hand on Loki's chest, urging him to stop for a minute. 

His eyes were questioning as you caught your breath before you spoke, "You realize that.. if the cabin isn't under surveillance, you could leave and find a way home- back to Asgard?"

Loki stilled for a second before moving his hand to cup your face, stroking your jaw with his thumb. His eyes were filled with love and his voice was soft and tender as he said, "I couldn't even if I wanted to. Asgard isn't my home anymore, love, you are." 

You were rendered speechless at his response, so you did the only other thing you knew to do: you pulled his head back down to yours and kissed him with everything you had left in you. 

Loki certainly didn't mind your lack of words, and neither of you spoke for awhile after that. Your mouths were too busy doing other things.


End file.
